Thanks to my sis, Avee, for this tag. Thanks for remembering sis!

• 1. whats your latest addiction?
     shopping and blogging, of course.
• 2. What are you listening to?
  :: nothing as of the moment
  
• 3. How late did you stay up last night and why?
  :  2 am, got home late from the concert
  
• 4. Who were you with last friday night?
  :: my date, none other than my dearest hubby
• 5. Do you think you will be in a relationship 3 months from now?
     already in a relationship. married to a wonderful man.
  
• 6. When is the next time you’ll see your close friends? hopefully next year..
• 7. What were you doing this morning at 7am?
  :: still sleeping
  
• 8. What radio station do you listen to the most?
  :: KFI 640 is my favorite… I learn so much about what goes on everyday
  
• 9. What was the reason you last cried?
  :  can’t remember the last tim I cried.
  
• 10. Have you ever talked to someone when they were high?
      you mean, high on drugs? never talked to anybody high on drugs
  
• 11. What’s the fifth text in your inbox say?
  :: I am not into texting anymore. have so much roll over                   minutes to make a phone call.
  
• 12.Where was the last coffee shop u go?
     Starbucks… as always
  
• 13.Whats ur outfit right now?
  :: pyjama… in bed already.
  
• 16. What were you doing at 11pm last night?
      watching the Subways in concert
  
• 17. Who was the last person you talked to last night before bed?
      my babes..
  
• 18. Will you be driving in a year?
      yes, been driving for over a year now.
  
• 19. Is there anything that you are craving right now?
      mango with bagoong
  
• 20. When did your last hug take place?
      just before my babes went to sleep 
  
• 22. Have you ever started a sentence with “No offense, but…”?
      oh yes
  
• 23. Do you drink tea?
      lemon iced tea, yeah
  
• 24.Have you ever been arrested?
     no, i’m  a good girl
  
• 25. Have you rode in someone else’s car today?
      yes, my husband’s car.
• 26. Have you made a mistake this past week?
      oh yeah
• 27. Who was the last person you texted?
      I don’t text
  
• 28. Are you happy with your life right now?
      very… can’t ask for more..
• 29. In the past 72 hours have you been under the influence?
      yeah, had a glass of wine before dinner
  
• 30. What’s the connection between you and the last person you texted? she is the mom of my favorite daughter in-law, luna biscuit, whom I call my sis.
       

Holy cow! My last entry was couple weeks ago?? What a slacker. I should give this baby a little bit of attention. Poor thing, it’s been ages since I drop by for a visit.  Hopefully, this isn’t gonna be a regular thing. For the longest time this was one of the things that made me so productive and now I can’t even keep up with it anymore.  So many things happened for the past couple of weeks. We went to Seafood City in West Covina last Wedneday and bought my favorite stuff – tilapia (raw and fried), kangkong, ampalaya, talong, leche flan, etc. I like it so much that we’re gonna go there each month to get me my favorite food to eat. Got pictures and will post some of it next time. Have a goodnight y’all!

To my sis, Vannie, thank you for this award, dear!

1) Pick 5 blogs that you would like to award this honor to. (This is the hard part–there are just so many good ones around it is very difficult to choose just five.)

2) Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.

3) Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.

4) Award-winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of “Arte y Pico” blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award.

2) Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.

3) Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.

4) Award-winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of “Arte y Pico” blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award.

I am now passing this to my lady friends: Avee, Lira, Shimumsy, In-in,  and Ester.

Dogs probably are my favorite pets of all time. I had cats and rabbits when I was a kid but my pups stood out. They are like humans sometimes. I can’t be without them. Life will be so dull and i’ll be bored out of my wits. It costs money though to own one. Let alone having four which I have right now.  From their annual shots, be it rabies, bordatella, distemper, etc., food, and vitamins. You will go broke if you’re not careful.

To all pet parents out there, this may help us out. 

1. Estimating the job

Grooming is more than just brushing and shampooing your dog, and the two should not be confused. Grooming can be done without shampoo and water. Professional groomers clip nails, trim and thin hair, take care of unwanted hair, and even perform dental work.

Determine your pet’s needs:

–Teeth brushing is recommended once or twice a week; although, plaque buildup should be removed by a professional

-Brushing daily is essential. It gets rid of unwanted hair and can help keep your pooch cooler in the summer. It can also take the place of bathing by removing dirt, making your pet’s coat shiny.

–Trimming and thinning are often seasonal. If your dog has a thick coat and lives in a hot area, then his coat may need to be thinned at the beginning of summer.

–Nail clipping and getting rid of unwanted hair are usually performed on an as-needed basis. As your pet’s nails grow long, you will need to cut them. If his hair has grown out and is covering his eyes, then it is time to cut it.

2. Choosing the tools
There is a huge variety of tools, depending on the needs of your pooch.

–Comb and brush: A comb is used to get rid of unwanted tangles, while a brush gets rid of extra hair. Soft brushes are often used with short-haired dogs, because the bristles will come in contact with the skin. Thick or double-layers coats require coarser brushes that dig down deep into that fur. Either way, the experience should be pleasant, not painful, for your pooch.

–Scissors and clippers: To trim your dog’s hair, you will need a pair of sharp dog-grooming scissors. Many groomers recommend curved scissors, because it is easier to shape the dog’s hair. A pair of small scissors is also needed for areas around the eyes, ears and nose. Thinning shears can also be used on dogs with thick coats, since they thin out his thick mane. If you are shaving a poodle (or similar breed), then you may also need dog clippers.

–Toothbrush and toothpaste: You can buy the two items at your local pet store. If you do not want to purchase the items, then you can use things found at home, such as a child’s soft bristle tooth brush or a gauze pad. For paste, you can mix baking soda and water. Don’t use human toothpaste, because some ingredients can make your pup sick. Never use a brush or paste that will hurt or irritate your pooch’s teeth or gums.

–Nail clippers: Like all grooming tools, there are clippers made especially for your dog.

3. Choosing a place

-Grooming should be a good experience for you and your dog. It’s important that you choose an area where your dog feels comfortable, since you will be handling him in unfamiliar ways. If he enjoys the peacefulness of being outside, then set up a table or relaxing place in your backyard. If he prefers the sound of a television, then make a grooming area in your living room. There will be lots of hair floating around, so make sure you prepare an area that you can be easily cleaned.

4. Choosing the time
You don’t want to try to groom your pet when he is angry, hungry or highly energetic. A good time to try grooming is right after mealtime or exercise. Your pet will be happy and relaxed. 

My goodness! I never thought I have to puppy proof our house! Now, that’s a little bit crazy for me.  Grooming them is one thing but puppy proofing?? That’s over the top. If I am filthy rich, I might consider it. My poochies are fine.

Wazzup peeps! it’s monday once again, the day that most of us dreads coming. I’ve been on vacation for a long time. I can’t even tell what day it is ’cause everyday seems pretty much the same to me. Not for long though ’cause i’ll be working soon. Am I going to miss my routine? I might. I will miss waking up late and staying up late, going shopping with Jeff on his off, travelling with my babes bunny(this is one thing I enjoy doing with him). Other than that, I think i’ll be alright.  

Geeze, I wish fishes would come out soon. This is ridiculous, I only got one tiny little baby this morning. I don’t mind sitting here for hours but my eyes hurt from staring at the monitor for a period of time. Don’t want to wear glasses. It gives me headaches. Like right now, I feel a little sensation on my forehead. I hope i’m not ccoming down on something. Not now.

Alright, I give up. Two hours is enough for me to sit in front of the computer. There ain’t no fish in the ocean right now. Don’t know why. I made fishing my priority this morning ’cause this blog needs feeding. Unfortunately, there’s nothing to catch and i’m running out of gas too. I was up late last night tossing and turning as usual. I refrained from drinking too much coffee but that didn’t help either.  Hubby said I should drink a glass of warm milk before going to bed. Only problem is I don’t like it. Milk with cereal, sure. Otherwise, no thank you. I gotta have something with it. 

It’s almost noon. Time for brunch! When I get a chance later, i’ll try to visit y’all.

Today’s unemployment rate at 5.5% was the highest in American history. After starbucks announced the closure of some of its establishment across the country, Los Angeles Times now plan to cut their losses too. Hundreds of heads will roll. If memory serves me right, 200 employess will be out of job soon. We have come to the cross roads. Now what? When I think about it, I never would have thought this will happen to such a great country. With all the media hype about the forth coming presidential election, nobody seem to pay attention to what was going on. The price of gas and the unemployment rate should be on top of their list.

When Jeff came home last Tuesday night, he was a bit melancholy. I could tell something was bothering him. And when asked why, he said he just fired two people and will let go of three more employees today. That’s one part of his job he hates so much. Seeing people in agony as he breaks the bad news to them. Some gets indignant with him, bordering on insults. What else is there to do but put up with it. These poeple have mouths to feed and bills to pay. Of course they will be all keyed up. They know what they’re up against. People are on the warpath, not knowing when the next dollar will come from. Many a times I wonder how some of us survives without a home, not even a penny on their pocket. I hope we find solace in all these. We might be in a tight squeeze right now but, this too shall pass.

When someone make an ugly remark about you, would you ignore him or slap the b*tch out of him? The reason why i’m asking is I happen to witness an incident like what’s described above at the mall today. A customer is returning a merchandise she purchased months ago. Per the store policy, you have to return it in 90 days. Otherwise, they will not refund your money. However, you are entitled to a store credit. Long story short, this woman is making all kinds of excuses why she wasn’t able to return the merchandise. Telling the manager to cut her some slack since it’s where she does most of her shopping. If she shops there all the time, I would surmise she knows the store policy. I don’t know what her deal was because she didn’t want the store credit. She wants her money back! Which isn’t possible. When the cashier checked how the item was purchased, somebody put it on their credit card. Obviously, it wasn’t her who bought the item. The reaction on her face was just priceless! How humiliating, eh? There she was making a scene trying to make a quick buck. If I was the manager, I would throw the book at her. How did the woman end up with the item, I have no idea. But I am inclined to think that she stole it from somebody.  See what poverty does?

My desktop computer quit on me! Damn! I can’t believe it crashed. What a bummer! Before the screen turned blue, I heard a ticking sound from the hard drive. I knew something’s gonna happen. I looked for my thumb drive so I can transfer some of Jeff’s important files. When I came back, the blue screen was on (not the BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH) telling me about an error. I had to shut it down and boot up on safe mode. That’s exactly what I did but nothing happened. It just sat there for a few minutes. When I restarted it again and boot up the windows normally, I can’t get out of the main menu. Tried the recovery console, same thing. The doggone computer just died on me. Darn it! I created a back up before this happens but t’was not enough. Jeff’s friend called me and said it is probably a bad hard drive which I thought it was. But then he said it is physically damaged. Physically damaged?? How can it be? I didn’t drop it or anything. Then I remember, when I get mad due to the slow connection, I sometimes “tap” the CPU. You know, when you get irritated you do something crazy. First, the monitor went bad. We bought a new one to alleviate the problem. After a year of working like a gem, the PC acted up again. I had to replace the video card ’cause the hubby was not happy with the computer. And now this! Ggggrrr!!! I just wanna throw it outside and maybe chop it into pieces. It’s not worth fixing to me. I am talking Jeff into buying a new one. He can’t be without it anyway. I offered him my laptop but he doesn’t want to take me up on it. Mom gave us her old computer but that too is slow. Slow like molasses. What a life… 

My balikbayan box is almost ready to be shipped back home. I’ve been stacking up goods that are not perishable because it will take approximately a month to get it to my family in the Philippines. Chocolates are always included when I send them a package but not this time. It will melt before they could even get their hands on the goodies. I bought lotions, shampoos, bath gel, canned goods and alot more. For $70, you can send as much as you can in a big box provided by the asian store where i’m sending my package thru. Isn’t it a deal? When I sent them cellphones and a few chocolate bars couple years ago, I paid $200. Well, that was a stupid decision on my part. I sent it thru Fedex which is NOT the cheapest way to go. I was new here, I didn’t know what to do. Ignorance is not an excuse but, that was what happened. Had I known about the courier, I could’ve saved me $130.

Anyhow, mom and I went to Stater Bros. this morning to pick up some groceries. What else is there to do but shop, right? I found stuff for my bathrooms so I thought why not get some for my mom too. She will be happy with everything that’s in the box. The only thing that’s missing is the bag of pig’s ear for my puppies back home. Costco doesn’t have it anymore. Raw hides might not be the best deal for them ’cause they like table scraps. People food is what they eat. Hopefully, Costco will have it the next time we grocery shop. They gotta have something from me.